Looking into resources that can benefit programs I came across a pay app for the iPad called Doceri. Doceri will allow the presenter to interact with a computer desktop that is projecting to a whiteboard, or smartboard: it is a very cool product. It has many attributes, but that will have to wait for another article.

Doceri was quickly overshadowed by another app, an app that works across multiple platforms (Apple, Microsoft, Android, etc.) and multiple devices (Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, etc.), Evernote. Evernote is a highly versatile product for both students and programs, best of all, it is free. As quoted from the webpage, “Evernote: Remember Everything”.

I have been searching for a product that will help me keep track of those people I meet, notes from meetings, as well as notes from e-mails and research. My overall goal is to limit the amount of paper I am carrying to 1) help with organization and 2) save my back. In researching different products out there I kept coming across the name Evernote. I therefore downloaded Evernote to my phone, and there it sat.

Four days later I was sitting in the middle of a meeting with my legal pad of paper, and about 30 minutes in I said to myself, “Why are you writing this down, let’s see what Evernote can do.” I kept my pad of paper in my lap in case I needed it and started using my smart phone to capture notes – and that is where the notes on my legal pad summarily stopped.

What immediately caught my attention? First, I was able to record the meeting while simultaneously typing into the phone. The meeting lasted 1.5 hours from when I started recording, with a five minute break. Therefore I was, secondly, impressed to have sound files in my Evernote account that tie in with my notes for later review (I did not cover the break). My mind was blown and I knew had to explore the product more.

At the onset of making the note it had a recommended titled based on the event listing in my computer’s calendar – awesome! After I was finished with the note I was able to “tag” the note, allowing me to use metatagging to quickly search/sort my notes later based off key words I define – awesome! And lastly, did I mention it seamlessly combined an audio recording while I was typing meeting notes… on my phone – AWESOME!

Then those notes made on my phone are automatically available on my work computer, in my online account, on my iPad, home computer, and so on. Heck, I can even send my note to a peer who may need notes from the meeting!

I decided I needed to investigate further, so I’ve been trying other apps that work with Evernote, once again I find the apps highly usable.

Evernote Peek – “Turn your notes, audio and image in Evernote into study materials with Evernote Peek,” http://evernote.com/peek/. With Peek a person can use their notes in Evernote to become flashcards on their iPad.

If your program is using iPads a student can log-in, and use their notebook’s notes to instantly make flashcards.

Evernote Hello – “Remembering people is hard. Evernote Hello makes it easy by creating a rich, browsable history of individuals, encounters and shared experiences,” http://evernote.com/hello/.

Program Directors, Instructors, country men: are any of you better with names than faces? Have any of you met so many people that all faces and names look familiar? Using Hello you can record people’s contact information into your Evernote account, making it searchable along with any meetings or e-mails you’ve had with that person. Added incentive – after the guest has completed filling in their information they will receive your contact information in their e-mail inbox, seamlessly.

Evernote Penultimate – “Penultimate is the best-selling, easy to use handwriting app for iPad. Lose the paper, keep the handwriting,” http://evernote.com/penultimate/. Penultimate does cost $0.99, but it is highly usable and worth every red penny. As stated above you can write on it using your finger or stylus. The app uses a graph paper background, stock. You can take pictures with the program, add the picture to your note and then write on the picture… plus you’re able to “tag” it and put it your notebook.

An instructor could easily combine Penultimate to demonstrate math on a projected white board, annotate a graph, etc. Students could quickly do work on the tablet and then “share” it with the instructor – similar to using a whiteboard to do scratch work (2014 GED® skill).

I can’t state it enough; I find that Evernote is a highly versatile app for both students and programs. Not only does the app encourage good note taking, but it encourages people to take and save notes in ways important to them. As always, instructors start using it before you roll it out in class, beyond that cautionary note – Dive In!